Though doctors are now showing a high degree of interest in onlinesocial networking, consumers with illnesses were there well before themand their fast-growing communities may present an opportunity for themedical and pharmaceutical industries.

Membership in TuDiabetes <http://tudiabetes.com/> , a network forEnglish-speaking diabetes patients, is now nearing 8,000 and growing at10 percent to 15 percent a month. EsTuDiabetes<http://estudiabetes.com/> , its sister site for Spanish speakers, isgrowing at an even faster pace and both sites have a global following.

"It definitely came as a very pleasant surprise," says the sites'founder, Manny Hernandez, of their growth. "Because I am very open about[my diabetes], I was surprised to hear people say this is the first timeI've had the chance to chat with people about diabetes."

And they are chatting in many places besides the TuDiabetes sites, whichwas started in 2007. DailyStrength has separate communities for type 1and type 2 diabetes, and, last November, the Juvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation launched its community, Juvenation. The sites come on top ofdozens of well-trafficked blogs, like DiabetesMine and portals likeDiabetes Daily and the doctor-focused DiabetesConnect. There are alsocommunity-like sites created by pharmaceutical companies for theirproducts, like the one for Sanofi-Aventis' slow-release insulin shotLantus. The site was ranked highest for satisfaction in a newManhattanResearch survey of ePharma consumers.

The corporate sites are, of regulatory necessity, less freewheeling thantheir independent counterparts. Pharmaceutical companies are required bylaw in the U.S. to report to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration anyproblems caused by their drugs and kvetching is pretty much a staple ofuser-generated content on any social networking site. ButManhattanResearch notes that corporate sites can add rich features totheir sites that make them highly attractive to consumers, such asinstructional guides and videos, money-saving coupons and access tocustomer-service representatives. (The "ePharma" report looked beyonddiabetes to assess visitation and satisfaction on more than 40 companysites and more than 50 unbranded sites.)

TuDiabetes is arguably the most tech-savvy of the independent diabetescommunities: Hernandez built it on social networking platform Ning, thecompany at which he worked before starting TuDiabetes. His new venturehas just two full-time employees, but relies on a network of membervolunteers to keep the discussions free of spammers and welcome newmembers. The volunteers read every new sign-up and send a personale-mail to help the newcomer find the discussions most appropriate totheir diagnosis.

The Venezuela-born Hernandez, who is fluent in both English and Spanish,started his community in the former but quickly realized that there wasas great a demand for information in Spanish-speaking areas of theworld. EsTuDiabetes now has a following not only in Venezuela, but inMexico, Spain, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica and among Latin Americans inthe U.S.

Despite the seemingly crowded landscape, Hernandez, who was diagnosedwith diabetes in 2002, says his greatest competitors are "ignorance andunawareness."

"Putting together all the online communities that serve diabetespatients, we're probably not even getting to 100,000 people," saidHernandez. "Yet there are 25 million diabetics in the U.S and 250million worldwide." The World Health Organization expects the number ofdiabetics to reach 366 million by 2030.

With statistics like those, it's easy to understand the strong interestin branded and unbranded drug and disease communities evidenced in theManhattanResearch survey. And many of the unbranded sites already acceptpharma and general consumer advertising. But like their counterparts inthe broader social networking space, they are wary of intrusions.

"We don't want people joining just to promote a product," saidHernandez. "We feel it is important to keep ads established as such andseparate from conversations. Those have to stay between patients becausethat is how the site provides the most authenticity."

Though doctors are now showing a high degree of interest in onlinesocial networking, consumers with illnesses were there well before themand their fast-growing communities may present an opportunity for themedical and pharmaceutical industries.

Membership in TuDiabetes <http://tudiabetes.com/> , a network forEnglish-speaking diabetes patients, is now nearing 8,000 and growing at10 percent to 15 percent a month. EsTuDiabetes<http://estudiabetes.com/> , its sister site for Spanish speakers, isgrowing at an even faster pace and both sites have a global following.

"It definitely came as a very pleasant surprise," says the sites'founder, Manny Hernandez, of their growth. "Because I am very open about[my diabetes], I was surprised to hear people say this is the first timeI've had the chance to chat with people about diabetes."

And they are chatting in many places besides the TuDiabetes sites, whichwas started in 2007. DailyStrength has separate communities for type 1and type 2 diabetes, and, last November, the Juvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation launched its community, Juvenation. The sites come on top ofdozens of well-trafficked blogs, like DiabetesMine and portals likeDiabetes Daily and the doctor-focused DiabetesConnect. There are alsocommunity-like sites created by pharmaceutical companies for theirproducts, like the one for Sanofi-Aventis' slow-release insulin shotLantus. The site was ranked highest for satisfaction in a newManhattanResearch survey of ePharma consumers.

The corporate sites are, of regulatory necessity, less freewheeling thantheir independent counterparts. Pharmaceutical companies are required bylaw in the U.S. to report to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration anyproblems caused by their drugs and kvetching is pretty much a staple ofuser-generated content on any social networking site. ButManhattanResearch notes that corporate sites can add rich features totheir sites that make them highly attractive to consumers, such asinstructional guides and videos, money-saving coupons and access tocustomer-service representatives. (The "ePharma" report looked beyonddiabetes to assess visitation and satisfaction on more than 40 companysites and more than 50 unbranded sites.)

TuDiabetes is arguably the most tech-savvy of the independent diabetescommunities: Hernandez built it on social networking platform Ning, thecompany at which he worked before starting TuDiabetes. His new venturehas just two full-time employees, but relies on a network of membervolunteers to keep the discussions free of spammers and welcome newmembers. The volunteers read every new sign-up and send a personale-mail to help the newcomer find the discussions most appropriate totheir diagnosis.

The Venezuela-born Hernandez, who is fluent in both English and Spanish,started his community in the former but quickly realized that there wasas great a demand for information in Spanish-speaking areas of theworld. EsTuDiabetes now has a following not only in Venezuela, but inMexico, Spain, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica and among Latin Americans inthe U.S.

Despite the seemingly crowded landscape, Hernandez, who was diagnosedwith diabetes in 2002, says his greatest competitors are "ignorance andunawareness."

"Putting together all the online communities that serve diabetespatients, we're probably not even getting to 100,000 people," saidHernandez. "Yet there are 25 million diabetics in the U.S and 250million worldwide." The World Health Organization expects the number ofdiabetics to reach 366 million by 2030.

With statistics like those, it's easy to understand the strong interestin branded and unbranded drug and disease communities evidenced in theManhattanResearch survey. And many of the unbranded sites already acceptpharma and general consumer advertising. But like their counterparts inthe broader social networking space, they are wary of intrusions.

"We don't want people joining just to promote a product," saidHernandez. "We feel it is important to keep ads established as such andseparate from conversations. Those have to stay between patients becausethat is how the site provides the most authenticity."